Messi scores 4 goals by outfoxing fullbacks in single match

FC Eibar, which lost 0-5 to FC Barcelona, gave words of compliment to Lionel Messi (33) of Barça in an away match of the Spanish Primera Liga that took place at Camp Nou football stadium in Barcelona, Spain on Sunday. Messi scored four goals to a crushing win in the match, leading his team Barça.

His performance was so impressive that even the losing team lauded his performance right after in the event. As No. 1 team securing a total winning points of 55 (17 wins, four draws and four losses), FC Barcelona has beat over its rival Real Madrid (winning score of 53), which lost 0-1 to Levante.

Messi scored the opening goal with a right-foot shot after dribbling the ball and outfoxing Eibar’s fullback at 14th minute of the first half. Then, he scored additional goals at 37th minute and 40th minute of the first half, and 42nd minute of the second half. U.K. outlet Give Me Sports said, “Messi, who demonstrated robust scoring capability, has topped 1,000 offensive points (1,002).” According to a tally by Transfer Market, a portal specializing in player transfers, Messi has scored a total of 696 goals and 306 assists while playing a total of 853 matches for Barcelona and Argentina’s national team. An individual player’s career record in total number of goals in the Guinness World Record is 1,279 goals (1,363 matches) set by “soccer emperor” Pele Ronaldo of Brazil.

Messi had six assists without scoring goal in the recent four matches, but has completely dispelled concern over his possible loss of scoring capability on Sunday. Messi has struck a hat trick in the first half in a total of four matches, according to FC Barcelona,. He got the latest hat trick in the second shortest time after the match (30 minutes of the first half) against Mallorca in 2011. It was the seventh time that Messi has scored four goals in a single match during his entire career. In the light of hat trick, Messi has beat over his rival Cristiano Ronaldo (47 hat tricks) with a total of 48 hat tricks during his career.


Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com